Simple Village Ways and a Bedtime Story

Simple Village Ways and a Bedtime Story

When Lu Qing returned to the village with Xiao Yan and saw the villagers gathered beneath the large tree, chatting away,

he was greeted by smiling faces.

"A Qing, Xiao Yan, you're back?" a villager asked with a cheerful grin.

"Mm, we just came back from Grandpa Chen's place." Lu Qing nodded, somewhat puzzled. "What's everyone gathered here for? Did something happen?"

"No, no." The villagers shook their heads repeatedly.

"A Qing, since you're learning from Old Doctor Chen, you must study hard and put your heart into it!" an elderly man said at that moment.

"That's right. If you run into any difficulties, just tell us. We're all from the same village, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."

"It's rare for Old Doctor Chen to be willing to teach you medicine. You must seize this opportunity!"

The other villagers chimed in as well.

Seeing the concern on their faces, Lu Qing was slightly dazed.

He recalled what the Old Doctor had told him before he came down the mountain.

"Lu Qing, do you know why, among all the nearby villages, I chose to settle in yours?"

"Lu Qing does not know."

"That is because I greatly like the customs of your village."

"This old man has traveled north and south, wandering for decades. Of the villages I have seen and lived in, if there weren't a thousand, there were at least eight hundred."

"Among those villages were prosperous ones, impoverished ones, benevolent ones, and hostile ones—every kind under the sun."

"But the customs in your village are among the rarest in their simplicity and honesty."

"You are united and helpful, harmonious with your neighbors, supporting one another."

"Though the villagers may occasionally quarrel in daily life, they do not become enemies. When trouble comes to someone's household, those who should help still lend a hand."

"Such a harmonious village is rare even in my travels through most of my life."

"When I first arrived in your village, I was drawn in by this simple, honest spirit and ultimately decided to settle here."

After hearing the Old Doctor's words, Lu Qing had fallen into thought.

Indeed, even he could sense how simple and honest the villagers were.

Otherwise, had he ended up in a village with worse customs, he and Xiao Yan would likely have long been met with every kind of cold stare, perhaps even bullying.

How could they have lived peacefully in their own home as they did now?

"Grandpa Chen, from what you just said, the villages outside seem different from ours?" Lu Qing had asked.

"Very different. Even if other villages are harmonious, they are not like yours, where people support one another and possess such a strong spirit of benevolence and righteousness."

"Then why is our village different from the others?"

"That, I do not know very well. Perhaps you can ask the elders in the village someday."

Recalling his conversation with the Old Doctor and looking at the villagers before him, their faces full of earnest concern,

Lu Qing suddenly smiled and nodded seriously. "Don't worry, everyone. I'll definitely study medicine diligently under Grandpa Chen."

After bidding the villagers farewell, Lu Qing took Xiao Yan's hand and headed home, his spirits soaring.

He felt rather fortunate.

Fortunately, the village he had been reborn into was this one.

Had he been reborn in one of those villages with poor customs the Old Doctor had mentioned, he would likely have faced a mountain of troubles.

Life was a little harder now, but at least there were not so many vexing matters.

What was more, as he became increasingly familiar with this world, he believed that even their days would only grow better and better in his hands.

After returning home, Lu Qing let Xiao Yan play by herself, then took out the "Classic of Materia Medica" and continued reading.

Now that he knew the value of the Red Moon Carp, he was no longer so anxious about finding a way to make money.

Once Old Doctor Chen helped sell the Red Moon Carp, silver would come his way—enough for him and Xiao Yan to live on for some time.

What he valued most now was still the Old Doctor's test.

As long as he passed it, he could formally study medicine under the Old Doctor. He absolutely had to seize this chance.

Therefore, even though he had already memorized the entire "Classic of Materia Medica" with the aid of his Supernatural Ability,

Lu Qing still did not relax, diligently studying its contents.

Time slowly passed as Lu Qing read.

During that time, villagers came by as well, hoping to ask him about fishing.

After all, the two big fish he had caught yesterday were still quite shocking to everyone.

Some people had come to learn a thing or two from him.

But when they saw Lu Qing reading in the courtyard, they did not dare disturb him and quietly withdrew.

For dinner, Lu Qing still made fish, along with a handful of wild vegetables he had picked from the courtyard and blanched.

After dinner, the sky had already darkened. Lu Qing read for a while longer, and then night fell completely.

They could not afford lamp oil now, so once darkness came, he put away his book.

However, after reviewing it all afternoon, his familiarity with the "Classic of Materia Medica" had deepened further.

Apart from the meanings of a few characters that he still did not quite understand, there was almost nothing left that puzzled him.

At the end of the day, the "Classic of Materia Medica" was merely a book introducing medicinal herbs. It was a popular science medical text and did not involve much medical theory, so it was not difficult to understand.

Not to mention that Lu Qing had his Supernatural Ability to assist him.

He believed that even if Old Doctor Chen tested him immediately, he could pass without issue.

After putting away the book, Lu Qing prepared to coax Xiao Yan to sleep.

This Otherworld was nothing like the dazzling, neon-lit world of his previous life, where midnight marked the beginning of nightlife.

Here, going to bed at ten in the evening was already considered late.

Most people went to sleep around eight or nine after nightfall.

"Brother, Xiao Yan isn't sleepy yet."

The little girl lay in bed beneath her small quilt.

Moonlight streamed through the window and onto the bed, clearly revealing her round, bright eyes.

"Be good, Xiao Yan. Go to sleep early. We still have to go to Grandpa Chen's place tomorrow," Lu Qing coaxed.

"But Xiao Yan can't sleep." The little girl began to act spoiled.

"Then what should we do?" Lu Qing was at a loss.

"Brother, tell Xiao Yan a story! Xiao Yan wants to hear that Little Monkey story from last time!" The little girl finally revealed her true purpose.

"All right." Lu Qing sighed. "Where did we leave off last time?"

He was beginning to regret it.

The previous two nights, Xiao Yan had woken up crying in the middle of the night, and no matter how he coaxed her, he could not stop her tears.

In the end, he could only tell her stories. Unexpectedly, the little girl had become hooked at once.

"Last time, it was when Little Monkey wanted to become king!" Xiao Yan remembered it quite clearly.

"All right. So, one day, the troop of monkeys was playing in the mountain stream when they accidentally discovered a Water Curtain Cave..."

That was right—Lu Qing was telling the story of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

However, he had not seriously read the original work in his previous life, and he no longer remembered the specific plot very clearly.

He could only rely on the impressions in his mind and improvise as he went.

Fortunately, the story of the Monkey King held endless appeal for children.

Even though he chopped off the beginning and the end and skipped many details, Xiao Yan still listened with great relish.

But she was still a child, quick to grow sleepy, and with the Azure Armor Fish Stone calming her mind and steadying her soul,

Xiao Yan's eyelids began to fight each other before she could hear Little Monkey formally become king, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Qing gently tucked her quilt around her and was just about to return to his own bed.

When, all of a sudden, he heard a sound from outside.